Thursday, July 19, and Friday, July 20, 8:00 am - 8:45 am
Start your day with three dynamic Talks inspired by the famous TED Talks and enjoy a morning coffee or tea with colleagues. AHEAD Talks are personal story-like presentations designed to have impact the audience on a personal level, providing insights, inspiration, and an opportunity for reflection. This year’s Talks include:
Leverage Your Liability!
Melanie Thornton, M.A., University of Arkansas Partners for Inclusive Communities
Many of us have been taught to hide our weaknesses. We are encouraged to explain things in a way that makes us look good, even when things go wrong. We often lose sleep over the possibility that we will fail. Even with evidence that counters this thinking, the idea that it is not okay to make or admit mistakes persists in most organizations. In this talk, we'll look at wisdom that counters these ideas and consider how to leverage what we sometimes consider liabilities and put them to work for us.
Love to Lead. Lead with Love
Adam Meyer, PhD, University of Central Florida
Love is a word that we use often in our culture to express a great like toward something, whether it be a person, a favorite food, a favorite TV show, or a hobby, to name just a few examples. Love is rarely connected with the idea of leadership. However, it is impossible to lead effectively without love, regardless of title. This talk will explore what it means to lead with love.
Philosophical versus Practical: How Do You Do Business?
Kristie Orr, PhD, Texas A&M University
Most disability service providers agree with the concepts of the social model of disability and try to incorporate them into their daily work, however, in reality there is a practical side to the work that we do. This presentation will explore the philosophical work that we do versus the practical work that we do and the struggle that sometimes results in trying to satisfy both.
Embracing Helicopter Parents; Assets not Adversaries
Amy Osborne, M.S., Thomas More College
While the concept of helicopter parents is not new, the definition is quite different for those students with and without a disability.Parents of students with disabilities have been their student’s strongest advocate for their entire academic careers.
Thus, as the student enters postsecondary education, parents too face a dramatic change. How can we use the parent’s expertise while supporting student growth and self-sufficiency? How do we scaffold students they embark on the next phase of their educational journies?
The Gifts of Imperfection in Disability Services
Adam Crawford, M.S., The Ohio State University
Many disability services professionals feel the weight of "being perfect" in their lives. We are expected to juggle increasing workloads with stagnated resources, all the while not showing any signs of burnout and never making mistakes. And if you do make a mistake, prepare for an OCR investigation. Talk about pressure! It's in this context that perfectionism, and all its ills, can manifest. Using Dr. Brene Brown's best-selling book The Gifts of Imperfection as a foundation, this speaker will share his personal journey from struggling perfectionist to aspiring "good-enoughist." Attendees will learn about Brene's Ten Guideposts for Wholehearted Living and how to apply these guideposts to their own work.
Sexual Violence and Rape -- It’s Not Just About Title IX
Paul Grossman, J.D., Hastings School of Law
There is clear evidence of a relationship between surviving sexual assault and the onset or exacerbation of disabilities like PTS, insomnia, and anxiety disorder. This evidence compels us to recognize the responsibility of colleges and universities to include disabled student service personnel as part of the institutional response to survivors of rape and other forms of sexual violence. Moreover, there are important legal and strategic advantages to addressing the needs of individuals who have experienced sexual assault as “individuals with disabilities” with accommodation rights under Section 504 and the ADA rather than solely as “accusers” under Title IX. Join Paul in a “call to action” for a greater level of collaboration between campus Title IX and DSS offices in addressing the immediate and long-term needs of students who have experienced sexual violence.